How does the author use symbolism in the novel, The Wangs Vs The World?

The car the Wang family drives in across country is symbolic of everything they have had and lost. Technically, it is not their car. Charles Wang gifted it to Ama, which is the only reason it has not been repossessed with the rest of their possessions. They steal it out from under her, leaving her nothing, to take it across the country. Once pampered as their lives had been, the car is not in good enough shape to make it. Unlike the car, however, the Wangs are able to adjust themselves to their new world and their new lives. They continue on without the heavy piece of the past as a reminder of what they once were.